Essay Questions

What is the unifying theme in the book ‘Woodcuts of Women: Stories’?

The insight of a woman's mind emerges as the central theme across all stories. Throughout the book, the reader is searching for what women think as opposed to men. The reader realizes that the world is viewed from the male's perspective. Women realize that they need to do more for their contribution and potential to be recognized in a world dominated by masculine thinking and point of view. The author further touches on what the man thinks of women and concludes that men believe they are superior beings. Therefore, the entire book discusses the insight of women and how they view the world.

Why is the narrator in the story ‘Huesca’ saying, “I have two loves, Yvette and Blanca”?

The narrator is saying this statement to explain why a man can have more than a woman. According to the narrator, many women are after him, but he has settled on two loves. The reader wonders what is going on in women's minds when they all agree to have one man as the husband. The author does not go into details to explain why a man can have multiple wives, but the reader concludes that cultural settings influence such decisions. This story's irony is that a woman cannot have multiple husbands, which explains why the woman is fighting for equal treatment in contemporary society.

What is the main lesson the reader learns from the short story ‘Bottoms’?

The protagonist in the story 'Bottoms' is portrayed as an individual with lo-self-esteem. The protagonist is determined to be confident and strong. The first step the protagonist does is disassociating himself with men who have similar qualities as his. Therefore, the protagonist decides to associate with confident and courageous men. At last, the protagonist is sure enough to approach the most beautiful woman. The main lesson here is that if you want to be successful, you must abandon your old ways and embrace the qualities that can make you successful. By leaving the people with poor qualities like his, the protagonist interacted with confident men who positively influenced his thinking.